Craig Gordon
I think we all have a desire to be generous to Craig for a couple of reasons: as Ronny said, without him, we would not have gotten through the group stage, and we are due him some support after he spoiled his copy in the first leg. He returned to form last night, made several fine saves, but we would expect him to make all of them.
He also contributed a truly exceptional save from an offside attempt.
Adam Matthews and Emilio Izaguirre
Neither full back was as productive in the final third as they were a week ago, but that would have been a consequence of a different game plan, and the numerical disadvantage. There is a tendency to criticise our full backs, especially Izzie, for bombing forward and leaving gaps at the back, but this is their role in the team. It’s up to someone else to provide cover. We’re as strong at full back as I’ve known us.
Virgil van Dijk, Jason Denayer and Efe Ambrose
For two want-away players, this tie was a big stage. Virgil didn’t give a good account of himself. The first booking last night was incorrect. He stopped the player but played the ball and his challenge was never dangerous. Scouts watching his second yellow will have recorded that he made a very bad decision which ultimately cost his team. The referee had a nightmare, but the second yellow was a correct decision.
Jason and Efe played well. There was one moment Efe failed to follow a player in the box but Craig Gordon saved. Jason was comfortable throughout. If he wants a morality tale on what could happen if he returns to Manchester City, he should look no further than his team-mate up front.
Nir Bitton
The scouts who were there to watch Virgil would have left with a notebook full of comments about Nir Bitton. At Murrayfield against Legia, Nir was part of a midfield which included Mulgrew, McGregor and Johansen. It was an abject team performance and the Israeli bore much of the brunt of criticism.
Here’s the thing: I’m beginning to think he’s our best player. He could have played in any of the Champions League games I’ve watched this week, Sign him up, Peter.
Scott Brown, Stuart Armstrong, Stefan Johansen
A major reason last season’s European campaign was such a write-off was the absence of Scott Brown following his rush-of-blood red card and three game suspension. We need players with the ability and engine of Scott and Stefan, both must be a nightmare to play against.
Stuart Armstrong looks like he has been playing in this Celtic team for years. He’s fitted in very well and already looks like an automatic choice. Wait to see what he’s like after 6 months.
Gary Mackay-Stevens
I couldn’t believe the innate criticism of Ronny after the game on BT Sport for subbing Gary, who was our best player until that point, after the red card. When you are early in the game, away from home in the San Siro, it is a perfectly acceptable tactic to sacrifice a wide player (Gary was our only out-and-out wide player) for a defender or covering midfielder.
We didn’t win the game, but anyone who asserts that we would have won the game by leaving a wide player on in place of a covering midfielder or defender, is stretching credulity. The tactics chosen kept the game alive until the 88th minute, albeit the break required didn’t materialise.
When he was on the field, Gary won the ball in a central position, ripped 60 yards through Inter, before finding a team-mate. He looked to be revelling in the space and opportunity given to him.
John Guidetti, James Forrest, Chris Commons
This was a hard shift for all three. John could have had a penalty but thereafter found himself on his bum too often. He is a player who has not progressed as hoped under Ronny, yet, and has a lot of work to do between now and the end of the season.
James has not returned to his blistering performances from a couple of years ago, when he was clearly our M.V.P. As his limbs mature his speed and injury record could go either way. He’ll be with us for another few years, so Celtic have time to build resilience into those leg muscles and nerves.
Kris came on with 13 minutes left and used his unerring goal-sonar to squeeze an attempt out of the meagre provisions he had. He also appears to have updated the referee on what an incompetent clown he is at the end of the game.
This was the first of seven European away games we failed to score in this season, but the reasons we’re out of Europe all lie in what happened last week. You cannot make goalkeeping and defensive mistakes like that and remain in Europe, nor can you pass up so many clear-cut chances.
Don’t know where to start on the flare last night. I fear the next decision from Uefa will be more than a fine.
Thanks to everyone who donated to our Mary’s Meals school kitchen appeal yesterday while entering the ticket competition. The winner was informed by email a few moments ago, so check your inbox.
If you need tickets for the CQN St Patrick’s Dinner, with a Q&A with Packy Bonner, Joe Miller, Tommy Coyne and Tom Boyd, Archie Macpherson speaking about Jock Stein, and music from Patricia Ferns, let me know, celticquicknews@gmail.com
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Burnley78
20:45 on
27 February, 2015
I am not sure of the views on here re The Engerland cricket captain refusing to sing their anthem. Interesting stuff. All credit to him.
I think the guy was born in Ireland, proud of him
Will go for a corner countdown for the 2nd half.
6 required…..
Woo-hoo
Corner on 46:30, 5 required….
How’s ‘Songs of Praise’ going, over on BT sport 1?
Mike in Toronto
A wee Paisley Bhoy singing it for you!
HH jamesgang
http://youtu.be/RhplPhRlsRk
burnley … didn’t realize that … interesting story!
sipsini … my dad did post on here before he passed away 2 years ago …. but he never told me what his cqn name was…. after he passed, I tried to figure it out, but couldn’t … now I kind of like not knowing … we may have chatted ..I think he probably laughed knowing it was me, but me not knowing it was him. i think he is up there laughing as I type this … that makes me smile.
Re the ‘Don’t you call me a Hun or I’ll tell my dad’ debate (there’s no debate, they’ll always be Huns to me) I dug out the following from Wikipedia:
“All surviving accounts were written by enemies of the Huns, and none describe the Huns as attractive either morally or in appearance (the Huns were illiterate and thus kept no records).
Jordanes, a Goth writing in Italy in 551, a century after the collapse of the Hunnic Empire, describes the Huns as a “savage race, which dwelt at first in the swamps, a stunted, foul and puny tribe, scarcely human and having no language save one which bore but slight resemblance to human speech.”
Seems cut and dried to me.
A hun is a hun of course, of course
And nobody can talk to a hun, of course
That is of course that hun, of course
Is the famous Mr Ted.
mredcsc
The ‘collapse of the Hunnic empire’………..Hmmmmmmmmm
has a familiar ring about it………………….
Ireland blow it at the rugby !
MIT,
can Paul not tell you your dad,s name on the blog, surely after your dads passing no harm would be done
I like those Irish rugger players :)
http://www.irishtimes.com/blogs/politics/files/2009/05/queen.jpg
Surprised Eoin Morgan’s stance has not generated more positive energy on here…
An Irish captain of English cricket refusing to sing their anthem.
Our day has come ……..
jamesgang … I like Paolo … have seen him a few times now. Both mum and dad’s family are from Paisley.
I used to play PN’s records for dad … who, like most dads, would say, ‘turn that s**t down!’… then, I’d tell him, ‘that’s Paolo Nutini… good bhoy… dad owned the chip shop …” and dad would give him a listen, and say ‘he’s got a nice voice … turn that up’ and we’d sign away!
‘These streets’ was our favourite!
Good memories!
Exslaemuirbhoy …
I did try …and Paul and WinningCaptain were really helpful … but at some point I think mum and dad had changed computers or something, and mum wasnt sure which email address he used, so we couldn’t track it down.. and, as I say, this way I can tell myself that we probably chatted… which I like.
Cheers,
jamesgang –
great version of Labi’s classic. Actually, I love all songs with love in the title. Love is indeed all you need!
ps 4 to go
pps 3 to go (and 33 mins left…)
Arguing that the word Hun is anti Protestant per se is simply absurd.
Imagine two Venn diagrams.
In one is a very large circle marked “Protestants ” and inside that circle another tiny circle marked ” Huns”.
In the other is a very large circle marked “White People ” and inside that circle another tiny circle marked ” Ku Klux Klan”.
That’s what it’s really about.
Spiers column tomorrow promoted by him on Twitter… Guess what it’s about?
watched wee bits of the Falkirk game there. Dire stuff. Were the goals any good?
Jar Jar Binks takes his own player out of the game with a two hooved challenge.
My wife is a Protestant but definitely no a Hun. season ticket at CP knocks that thought out the park. not a single Hun in my in laws either.
This really is an amazing game. An hour in and the huns haven’t set fire to the pitch yet.
mike in Toronto
That’s torture, ah well maybe 1 day you or your mum will stumble on a wee bit of paper with his password or user name scribbled. Still , knowing Dad’s he probably signed up to keep an eye on you.
mike in toronto,
Sorry to here about your dad. I would more than likely have read his posts on here.
It says a lot for for the site that Paul created all those years ago.
It took me a long time lurking before posting, my mate has been lurking since day one and it was him that directed me to here…he still hasn’t posted yet, a good clever Celtic man as well.
I’ll keep trying.
QF, my wife’s a prod anaw, loads of huns in her family. Myself and my son just laugh at them. Mrs acgr is coming round though and often asks “how did we get on today” on my return from the match.
I usually have to ask who she’s talking about:_)
Gerry McCulloch said rankers have upped the intensity making it more of a scrappy game compared to the 1st half when Falkirk were playing football, says it all really
some things will never change
BBC live text on Falkirkenberg vs The Rangers is more exciting than watching it live! Some great commentary – Mohsni ‘makes the easy things look difficult’, Vuckcic ‘plays another hopeless ball’, Boydinho ‘struggles to get into the air’ – I sense the hand of someone with limited Hunnic sympathy :-)
70 minutes played and it’s still 7-2 to Falkirk. On corners.
ACGR
Sure it’s not the ‘royal we’ she’s using???
MiT
Sweet memories.
Jobo
Bon chance avec votre corners!
HH jamesgang
sipsini … although I am not one of the oldest posters, I am probably one of the longest serving members of CQN … stumbled across it literally a few days after Paul started … but, like you, I lurked for a long time before finally posting …
cant believe how the time has flown since!
Champion the wonder hun just booted a Falkirk player on the coupon. No card.
MIT
I really liked that your Dad wouldn`t tell you his Blog name. It makes him sound a really cool guy. I also like the fact that you can enjoy the mystery. Makes you seem similar to your Dad 0:-)
TLWIO @ 21:02
That is a superb way of explaining the difference. I will certainly use it ( and claim it as my own 0:-) ).
All and sundry,
I watched about ten minutes of the Falkirk / Sevco game. Being kind, I`ll blame the wind for the standard of football on show.
JJ
We’ve just passed an agreeable hour or so in the company of some fine, but posh, Engerlish Wugger types v. keen on the Wugby and all that……….
We left them singing…….
……………..”Ooh – Aah, Up The Raj
I say Ooh – Aah, Up The Raj”
Toffs!
Mike in Toronto, how you doing pal?
Just read the story about your dad posting on here and was going to suggest……..ach ye know.
Like your style in not now wanting to know his login.
HH bruv, and say hello to TT from me.
How the feck did the jar jar get away with the boot in the dish?
“Mrs acgr is coming round though and often asks “how did we get on today” on my return from the match.”
Remember, you often ask me the same question when I return to your car after the game 0:-)
JJ
Jjhs
Knock yourself out mhate.
OpensourceCSC
a ceiler gonof rust
21:15 on 27 February, 2015
Champion the wonder hun just booted a Falkirk player on the coupon. No card.
Dreadful decision